should i get a ferret

Question
hi, pets are a big part of my live as I love animals and have had pets before. but not any ferrets. I really like the sound of ferrets as I love playing and admiring people and my past pets. but there is one problem my parents are not so keen and I was wondering if you could tell me things about the ferrets which I should most certainly know before buying one. one of their main concerns about allowing me to get one is that I would have to let it run around the house playing but I was not sure how long I would have to let it do this for another of there concerns is that I currently have gerbils and have done research of ferrets and know that these two animals aren't the best of pals. I was wondering how big of a problem this is. that is it really but is there is any other advise you can share then please do.  

Answer
Hello, thanks for your question...your question is kind of vague and involved, I would recommend you do some research on ferrets before you decide to get one, either get a couple books on ferrets at your library or simply Google "ferrets/ferret behavior" and read what comes up.
Here's some good links to start:

http://www.everythingferret.com/ferret_ownership.htm
http://www.ferretcentral.org/faq/

Ferrets make great pets if you can work around some of their quirks. The ferret running around the house and ferret proofing your house are probably one of the biggest problems new ferret owners face, first for the safety of your pet and secondly for the well being of your furniture and various decorations. All low cupboards need to be either child-lock secure or have all things removed from them. Couches and recliners need to be checked to make sure a ferret can't work his way into them. Things on the ground that a ferret can get into or knock down need to addressed. If you have chairs around a table that you don't want him hopping up on, the chairs can't have cushions on the seats, ferrets are very strong and good climbers, they can easily lift themselves up if they have a good grip on the cushions. These are just some of the things you need to look at before setting a ferret loose in your house. If you got a book on the subject it should tell you everything to keep on eye on as far as ferret proofing your house goes ("Ferrets for Dummies" is a great comprehensive book to get started, covers EVERYTHING). Ferrets are extremely curious, and what gets them in trouble is either getting into something they shouldn't or getting stuck/lost, or eating something that's not good for them.

What you could try is to have a ferret-designated room for him to run around in, but this is pretty limiting and he will probably get bored and want into other rooms. Ferrets need at least several hours out of their cage daily, the more the better (think of a ferret as more of a cat/dog than a mouse or rodent that can be in a cage all day). If you aren't able at this time to supply him with ample room to run free that's ferret-proofed, it might be better if you wait until you got your own place and can ferret-proof it from the ground up, before pre-set decorations and things are already in place.

As for your other pets go, I think domesticated ferrets for the most part don't know *how* to adequately kill, but they are very playful and curious, and you're right, ferrets and rodents aren't the best of friends. (This is more on the gerbil side, a ferret probably would just want to play with him, but it will pretty much give the gerbil a heart attack) I tried putting a hamster and a ferret together, the ferret was only checking the hamster out, but the hamster looked like he was having a seizure, poor thing. So I separated them, and I think it's best if you care about your gerbils not to let them interact. This shouldn't be a problem if your gerbils are in a secure cage high up somewhere where a ferret couldn't get to them. For the most part he would be oblivious to their existence.

That's really all the advice I can give you for now, I strongly think you should read up on ferret owning so you get the whole scoop on what a ferret entails. Please don't rush into getting one uninformed, they do make terrific pets, but they are not for everyone.

Best of luck to you, hope I've helped! :)

~sheila